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- Title
Morphological Variation in a Polychromatic Population of Chiricahua Leopard Frogs (Lithobates chiricahuensis) from Durango, Mexico.
- Authors
Streicher, Jeffrey W.; Sheehy III, Coleman M.; Flores-Villela, Oscar; Campbell, Jonathan A.
- Abstract
The Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) occurs in parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. In the United States, it is listed as a federally threatened species. Although extensive research has been conducted on populations in the United States, the status of most Mexican populations is unknown. We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to identify a population of L. chiricahuensis from the Mexican state of Durango. To better characterize this poorly known population, we examined morphological variation in 30 individuals that included adult males, adult females, and subadult females. Multivariate analyses of 21 size-adjusted body measurements revealed putative shifts in body dimensions associated with gender and ontogeny. Additionally, we observed notable amounts of color pattern variation in female specimens. Our field observations from 2008 suggest that this population is large and thriving. In light of this, a more comprehensive examination may yield valuable conservation insights and have implications for the management of declining L. chiricahuensis populations in the United States.
- Subjects
DURANGO (Durango, Mexico); MEXICO; LEOPARD frogs; MITOCHONDRIA; ONTOGENY; ANIMAL morphology
- Publication
Journal of Herpetology, 2012, Vol 46, Issue 3, p387
- ISSN
0022-1511
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1670/11-120